DC announced a brand new fighting game on July 20, 2026, and the fighting game community's reaction was swift: disappointment. The new title, DCKO, is a free-to-play mobile tag fighter developed by Drop Fake, Inc., a British Columbia-based studio. It features 2v2 combat with collectible cards and RPG progression systems where players level up fighters and unlock stat boosts through in-game spending. The game launches in 2027.
The reveal has left fans baffled because it arrives while NetherRealm Studios, the developer behind the beloved Injustice franchise, is widely believed to be finishing work on Injustice 3. Nearly a decade has passed since Injustice 2 released in 2017, and the fanbase has been restless.
YouTube and X lit up with criticism immediately. "DC, this isn't the time for you to play games and release an Injustice clone. You know what we want," one commenter wrote. Others pointed out that NetherRealm had already halted support for Mortal Kombat 1 back in May 2025 to focus on an unannounced "next project." That project is widely understood to be Injustice 3.
Evidence supporting Injustice 3's development has mounted steadily. Voice actors for Superman and Aquaman accidentally posted about their involvement before deleting the posts. A concept artist listed the game on their public portfolio. Most tellingly, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon posted a poll on X on July 16 ranking the best super moves from the first Injustice game, a move fans read as a clear signal that something was coming.
The timing of DCKO's announcement creates an odd situation. Here's DC pushing a mobile tag fighter to audiences who have been vocal for years about wanting a new premium Injustice title from the studio that made the series famous. The disconnect feels intentional, though it's worth noting that DCKO is developed and published independently by Drop Fake, Inc., with official licensing through Warner Bros. Game Interactive.
Comparisons to Multiversus, the Warner Bros. fighting game that was delisted after just one year, began circulating immediately. That failure still stings the community, and DCKO's mobile-first approach and gacha mechanics strike many as a risky venture into territory where DC's fighting game legacy might not shine.
NetherRealm has apparently remained unaffected by the DCKO announcement. The studio knew what it was building long before DC went public with the mobile fighter. Injustice 3 appears to be moving forward as planned, leaving fans in an awkward position: excited about rumors and leaked evidence, but waiting for official confirmation that remains just out of reach.
Author Emily Chen: "Mobile fighters and live-service mechanics don't scratch the itch that hardcore fighting game fans have for Injustice 3, and DC knows it."
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